When She Ended It With Divorce (Chiara and Titus) novel Chapter 179

Chapter 179

“Mr. Goodman just arrived. Should I ask him to come in?” the maid asked.

Chiara was wiping Ryan’s mouth. “No need, we’re just about to leave.”

“Are you full, Ryan?” Chiara asked.

Ryan nodded. “Full!”

“Alright, let’s go,” Chiara said.

Chiara scooped Ryan up and headed outside. As soon as Paul saw the two of them, he hopped out of the car and opened the door for them. “Good morning, Paul,” Chiara said.

“Good morning, after you,” Paul replied, skipping any formal address. Since Chiara had asked him not to call her “Mrs. Goodman,” and using her first name felt too casual, he just kept things polite.

As soon as they got in the car, Ryan’s eyes went wide. Spotting Titus, he immediately reached out his arms to him. Chiara loosened her hold, and Titus, with a knowing smile, smoothly took Ryan into his arms.

“Did you sleep well?” Titus asked.

Chiara glanced at him, thinking he was just making pointless small talk. ‘Obviously, I slept well in my own place; I was out cold by ten,’ she thought, rolling her eyes inwardly.

“Yeah,” Chiara replied, not bothering to continue the conversation.

Titus gave her a sideways glance, then his gaze landed on Ryan. “When’s he going to start calling me ‘Dad”?” Titus asked.

Chiara finally turned to him. Glancing at Ryan, she said, “You can teach him.” She thought, ‘Not my job.

Titus said lazily, “You’ve taught him how to call everyone else, so why am I the exception?” He wasn’t wrong; she really was treating him differently. So she just kept quiet.

Titus turned his attention back to Ryan’s handsome little face. “Do you know who I am?”

Ryan just stared at him. “I’m your dad. Come on, say ‘Daddy,” Titus coaxed.

Ryan obediently mimicked him. “Da-da…” Ryan echoed, his pronunciation adorably almost clear.

Paul couldn’t help but burst out laughing at how perfectly Ryan said it. Chiara was left speechless. Titus stared at Ryan for a few seconds, then turned to Chiara. “You sure you never taught him that?”

Chiara finally looked at the two of them. “You might want to keep practicing. When he was little, Ana always said out loud, so Ryan probably thinks it’s this pronunciation… Well, you get the idea.”

Paul gave a little cough, barely holding back his laughter, thinking, ‘He really thinks “Daddy” means “da-da”?”

Titus narrowed his eyes and said, “Call me ‘Father.””

Chiara was left speechless. “Don’t confuse him, okay?” Chiara said.

“How is that confusing him?” Titus shot back.

“Who even says ‘Father’ these days? Just be patient and teach him a few more times; he’s a smart kid,” Chiara said.

“Come on, Ryan, say ‘Daddy’ again. Remember, it’s ‘Daddy’!” Titus coaxed.

“Da-da!” Ryan repeated, still not quite getting it right.

“No, it’s ‘Dad-dy’!” Titus corrected, trying to get him to say it right.

“Da-da!” Ryan repeated.

Chiara turned her gaze to the window, pointedly ignoring the father-son pronunciation standoff happening behind her; neither Titus nor Ryan was willing to give in.

Their back-and-forth kept going all the way until they arrived. “Mr. Goodman, we’re here,” Paul announced.

Titus was about to get out of the car with Ryan in his arms when Chiara frowned, watching all the people milling around outside. “Are we really just going in like this?” Chiara asked.

Titus gave her a look. “Got another way in mind?”

“There are a lot of people,” Chiara said.

Titus gave the outside a quick look, like he could read her mind. “Bringing him back, you had to know this was bound to happen sooner or later.”

Chiara turned to look at them, and both Titus and Ryan were looking right back at her. ‘They look so much alike, it’s uncanny,’ Chiara thought, a little dazed.

Titus held her gaze for a few seconds before finally opening the car door and getting out, so Chiara just got out after him. As they walked, all eyes were glued to them. Titus was as famous in Halinston as any movie star; everyone recognized that face.

From the mayor down to the street sweepers, there wasn’t a soul in Halinston who didn’t know him. “Who was that just now? He looks just like the CEO of Goodman Group!” someone whispered.

“Looks like? That’s definitely him!” another person replied.

“Why’s he holding a kid? And who’s that woman with him?” someone else asked.

“Looks kind of familiar…” someone muttered.

“That kid looks just like him. Is that his son?” someone whispered.

“When did he have a kid?” another person blurted out.

“No idea…” someone shrugged.

The staff at the household registration office were momentarily stunned when they saw the two of them. “How can I help you?” the staff member asked.

“I’m here to register my son,” Titus said.

Registering a kid for the first time was pretty straightforward; nothing complicated about it. “Thanks for your help,” Chiara said.

“You’re welcome,” the staff member replied.

With the registration finished, they got ready to head out. Even though they were divorced, they both had to show up for Ryan’s first official paperwork, bringing their IDs and his birth certificate.

“Ryan, from now on, your last name is Goodman, alright?” Titus said, looking at his son.

Chiara glanced at the two of them. “Now that we’re done here, I’ll just take Ryan back home.”

Titus looked at her. “I picked you guys up, so of course I’ll drive you back.”

Chiara didn’t bother arguing. She watched as Titus carried Ryan down the stairs, and Ryan looked back and gave her a cheerful wave. “Mommy! Mommy!” Ryan called out, his little voice full of excitement.

Chiara’s lips curled into a smile as she waved back. “Yeah!”

It didn’t even take an hour before someone snapped photos of the three of them, and soon they were blowing up all over the trending topics. And just as everyone was still talking about Yvonne’s breakup statement, this new headline took over the internet.

“Mr. Goodman, there are photos of you and your wife online,” Paul said, handing over his phone.

Titus glanced at the phone Paul handed him, and Chiara looked over as well. The photos were crystal clear, even showing Ryan’s face front and center.

“They didn’t even bother to blur out the kid’s face?” Chiara frowned, clearly irritated.

“He’s the Goodman heir; he’s always in the spotlight. Blurring his face won’t make a difference. For Ryan’s safety, I’ll arrange a driver for you,” Titus said.

Chiara’s first reaction was to refuse. “No need.”

“It’s for Ryan’s safety. I’ll find someone, and they’ll listen to you,” Titus replied.

Before Chiara could say anything else, Titus added in his usual laid-back tone, “It’s all for Ryan.”

She

gave Titus a look, then her gaze lingered on Ryan’s little face. “Have someone take those photos down,” she said.

Titus shot a look at Paul, who nodded and immediately started making calls. “And get the PR team to release a statement too,” Titus added.

Chiara turned to stare out the window. She knew this was bound to happen sooner or later, but she still couldn’t shake the strange feeling in her chest.

When they arrived at the Lynch residence, Chiara held out her arms for Ryan. He was clearly reluctant, but slowly let go of Titus’s hand, his eyes never leaving Titus, as if he just couldn’t bear to be apart from him.

Titus’s eyes grew tender as he gently took Ryan’s little hand. Chiara turned back to look at them, honestly speechless, not sure what to say.

But she finally said, “As I said, if you ever want to see Ryan, just let me know.” Ryan was crazy about him anyway, so she’d never get between them.

But Titus’s voice was low and serious. “If I hadn’t gone to Eldravia, do you think we would’ve had a happy life together?”

Chiara’s expression stayed cool as she nodded, not letting her feelings show. “Yeah, maybe my grandpa would still be here too. He could’ve lived to a ripe old age and watched Ryan grow up,” she said.

Titus’s gaze was deep and unreadable as he looked at her for a long moment, then finally let go of Ryan’s hand. “I’ll handle his kindergarten,” he said.

Chiara just nodded. “Alright.” After agreeing, Chiara scooped Ryan up

and got out of the car.

Ryan rested his head on Chiara’s shoulder, still staring at the car. “Daddy…” Ryan called out, his voice soft and full of longing.

Chiara paused when she heard Ryan call out. His pronunciation was pretty clear and accurate. Inside the car, Titus seemed to see Ryan mouthing the word, too. He immediately pushed open the door and walked over.

Chiara heard footsteps behind her, but she didn’t turn around. Then Titus’s deep voice sounded right beside her, “Ever thought about getting back together?”